Bishops Urge Congress To Protect The Life And Dignity Of Jobless And Working Poor

WASHINGTON—As they negotiate the details of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act, Congress should find ways to assure continuation of Unemployment Insurance Benefits and reject proposals to exclude children of hard working immigrant families from the Child Tax Credit, said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“The economy is still leaving too many people without work.” wrote Bishop Blaire in a February 9 letter to Congressman Dave Camp and Senator Max Baucus, who are heading the conference committee responsible for crafting a final agreement. “When the economy fails to generate sufficient jobs, there is a moral obligation to help protect the life and dignity of unemployed workers and their families. We also must protect those programs that help low-income workers escape poverty and raise their children in dignity.”

Bishop Blaire also raised concerns that proposed changes to the unemployment insurance system could harm jobless workers and their families, adding “[a]ny changes must protect the lives and dignity of beneficiaries.”

The full text of Bishop Blaire’s letter is available online: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/economic-justice-economy/upload/USCCB-UI-CTC-conference-Feb-2012.pdf

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Keywords: Unemployment Insurance, Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Domestic Justice and Human Development, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Pope John Paul II, U.S. Congress, federal budget, joblessness, workers, poor, unemployed, families

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